During her years at Elgin High School, junior Maris Lipsey said she has seen the student body become more united. She calls it a "unified EHS."

So when new principal Krystal Thomas began enforcing a stricter dress code this school year — such as no leggings, slide-on sandals and tank tops — Lipsey said everyone immediately felt the impact.

"Telling us we're too revealing, a distraction, it lowers your self esteem, and we already have a lot of that at Elgin," Lipsey, 16, said. "I can see it in the girls, and it's been concerning for the guys, too."

As a new school year begins, School District U46 officials said they will be looking into the policies this fall.

In Elgin, the dress code prompted an online petition, requesting a change. As of Tuesday, the Change.org petition — intended for Thomas and U46 CEO Tony Sanders — had more than 1,000 signatures.

Among the arguments in the petition is the belief dress code enforcement is biased toward what girls wear. "Wearing these articles of clothing is supposedly 'distracting,' but if students have good grades and get to class on time they should be allowed to wear whatever they want," the petition reads.

Dress code controversies are nothing new, especially in the era of social media. Hashtag movements such as #imnotadistraction are used by students and others to voice their opinions on their respective dress codes and weigh in on incidents somewhere else. High schools in nearby districts have been scrutinized over dress code enforcements, such as a Maine South High School senior being told her portrait was inappropriate because the sweater she wore did not go above the shoulders, according to a Chicago Tribune report.

"Guys can basically wear whatever they want as long as it doesn't promote drugs or alcohol," Lipsey said. "For girls, we have to make sure our clothes aren't too tight, we don't stand out, that we're not too revealing or appealing to men. It's basically telling us to hide ourselves."

Dress codes in schools have over the decades shifted from unfairly targeting boys to girls, said Jo Paoletti, a retired professor at the University of Maryland who has researched areas like fashion changes, gender studies and dress codes. When boys were at the center of dress code controversies in the 1960s and '70s — largely revolving around long hair and hairstyles — it was mostly because adults wanted them to conform amid an era of activism.

"For the girls, it's about controlling how revealing (their attire) is, where with boys' dress codes, it is more of conforming to a standard appearance," she said.

Schools tend to be "reactionary" with their dress codes, she added.

Unfortunately for schools, fashion changes frequently and administrators then face the dilemma on how to classify clothing that wasn't trendy before or thought of as regular attire, Paoletti said. Given principals will not all think alike about clothing, dress codes will more than likely vary by school.

"Are leggings pants or are they something to be worn under something else?" asked Paoletti. "As far as I can tell from walking down the street, most wear them as pants."

Some students in U46 are calling for policies that apply evenly to all secondary schools. During a recent U46 school board meeting, student Jane Magnoni spoke in support of a dress code she helped craft with Bartlett High School Principal Mike Demovsky last year that promoted equality. The school, too, had stricter enforcement in place last school year. Bartlett's dress code allows for more leniency and attempts to eliminate gender bias, she said.

But after working with Demovsky, Magnoni said she now sees a set of rules that should be adopted districtwide.

"I spent a lot of time dedicated to this cause — writing, researching, interviewing and speaking," the Bartlett junior said. "In the end, it was a huge success. (Bartlett High School) has since implemented the new dress code and it is seeing great results so far."

Casey Pearce, the board's student representative and Bartlett High School student, gave the new dress code thumbs up. During Monday's solar eclipse, Pearce had a chance to view it outdoors in the warm, muggy conditions. Pearce told board members that the dress code allowed her to wear clothes that made it more comfortable to stand outside in the summer.

At the meeting, Sanders said he was aware of the discussions regarding Elgin High School's dress code and would be taking it up with his student advisory council. "I think that would be a good place to at least start having the conversation and figure out a way to roll it out districtwide," he said.

District spokesperson Mary Fergus said there is no timeline as to when a decision would be made, but anticipates the topic to come up when Sanders meets with his council in September. At Elgin High School, Fergus said Thomas is in the process of reviewing the dress code and how it has been enforced before. Fergus added the principal was enforcing what was already written years before.

The district's dress codes were written to be gender-neutral, prevent harassment and distractions, Fergus said, but welcomes those skeptical to weigh in.

"We see those (concerns and observations) as valid points and good questions, and we want to use them as we review the dress codes," she said.